Canadians lag behind Americans in giving to charity

Canadians might have a good reputation but it’s their neighbours down south who were the more generous ones in 2017.

A Fraser Institute report found that only one-in-five Canadians gave to charity this year, compared to one-in-four Americans.

It wasn’t just fewer Canadians who gave; the think tank found that each Canadian who donated to charity gave less than did each American.

Canadian donors gave just 0.56 per cent of their annual income while Americans gave 1.76 per cent.

British Columbians didn’t do so well when compared to the rest of the country, either. The report found that the province was only the sixth most generous, behind Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario.

“Canadians might be surprised to learn that Americans are far more generous when it comes to claimed donations to registered charities, and that’s been the case for many years,” said Charles Lammam, director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute.